Junk Box WC mini CarPc.

v8tfcorty · 2nd September 2011, 11:11 PM

Okies have been having trouble with my CarPc constantly popping the stock HSF off the CPU so I raided the Junk/Bitza box to see what I had. Mostly all crap but atleast I could bolt it in rather than rely on the crappy HSF clips.

Basic PC Specs are,

Box - Silverstone SG06 mini itx
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3
CPU- Intel i3-540
Ram - Kingston 4GB 1066 DDR3
PSU - Minibox M4-ATX
HDD - Seagate Momentus 750gb

WC Gear (from the junk box),
CPU - Thermaltake block (yes I know its crap)
RAD - ??
Pump - Thermaltake (yes I know its crap)
Tubing - ??

Here's a couple of build pix.

Rad mounted

Pump mount

Plumbed and also my clamp plates (was socket 775 setup, I needed to make plates to suit the 1156)

Couple of questions though,

Is it a ballache to shorten the Mobo/Psu wiring ?

Will the HDD be happy being mounted like this

For the rest of the deal its all still a work in progress, the screen in a lilliput 8" touch, the OS is win 7 ultimate running Centrafuse as the front end with Garmin GPS and camera's front and rear.
the sound is a few subs and other assorted speakers etc etc.

The "boom box", the compartment to the left lower is where the PC lives and the one to the right is where the second battery lives.

The car

austin nguyen · 2nd September 2011, 11:19 PM

would love to use SSD instead of HDD
shaky shaky babe gonna die

dreamaxx · 3rd September 2011, 1:50 AM

Wow cool car

BTW, I have seen a couple of cases where shortening the PSU wires did bad things to the PSU (it blew up). Something to do with resistance.

heller44 · 3rd September 2011, 10:42 AM

Just a question if you don't mind.

How are you filling the water loop?

Might be a bit of hassle getting the last bit of air out. Also when I was running my old system without a res, when it heated up the extra pressure was enough to force past the radiator fittings. One by-product of using a small res is having that small air gap to allow for expansion.

Nice use of a DIN rail mount there..

Regards.

v8tfcorty · 3rd September 2011, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by austin nguyen

would love to use SSD instead of HDD
shaky shaky babe gonna die

yep definitely a concern, I have a spare SSD here that I can put the OS on but I need the storage as well.
I can remote mount the storage HDD under the drivers seat. Are there any concerns about mounting the SSD in the same manner as the current HDD is mounted ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreamaxx

BTW, I have seen a couple of cases where shortening the PSU wires did bad things to the PSU (it blew up). Something to do with resistance.

Interesting, I want to shorten all wires as they are way too long for this box, even the ones for things on the front panel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by heller44

Just a question if you don't mind.

How are you filling the water loop?

Might be a bit of hassle getting the last bit of air out. Also when I was running my old system without a res, when it heated up the extra pressure was enough to force past the radiator fittings. One by-product of using a small res is having that small air gap to allow for expansion.

Nice use of a DIN rail mount there..

Fill port is on the rad, I will sit the machine on its side to fill and bleed the system, lots of "ready to go" WC deals do not have a res however I have an EK pump and res here if it is an issue but packing constraints will be a ballache.

joshpond · 3rd September 2011, 12:01 PM

Mounting the ssd on it's side is no problems.
Looks interesting.
Josh

BlueRaven · 3rd September 2011, 12:15 PM

Cool project (no pun intended). First WC'd carpc I've seen.

Mounting the HDD on its side is actually not a bad idea for this application, might help to avoid a head crash and data loss. But I doubt it, SSD FTW! Being solid-state, you could mount it any way you like... sideways, diagonally, upside down, inside out. Ok, maybe not the last one...

If you're thinking about cutting-and-shutting the PSU wiring, I wouldn't. Solder is not a very good conductor, hence the crimp pins on all PSU's. Just put a loop in the loom and whack some cable ties on it. Or get some pins and a crimper.

WuzzA21 · 3rd September 2011, 1:29 PM

Hrmm, lets hope that pump can stand the constant vibrations from the road, and hope that the clamps are on tight enough.

NICE idea tho.

NiSlo · 3rd September 2011, 1:51 PM

I had a carpc for a couple of years before I sold the car with a standard HDD and never had an trouble. CarPC's have been around alot longer than people think and they've been using spinning disks since the beginning. I found the consensus was that soft mounting the HDD with things like rubber bands and alike actually shortened the life of the hdd as an sudden stops and bumps were transformed to long, drawn out seconds of heads touching disks.

I'd be interested in the longevity of this setup, purely becuase of the chance of leaks. When you consider the bumps it is likely to endure and even the inertia of the water each time you go around a corner slowly working away at the joints.

What frontend are you using?

auApex · 3rd September 2011, 2:41 PM

^
That was my immediate thought. I reckon you could build a system like that to be leak proof for several months but at some point, it's going to leak. Is there anyway to make the loop ultra-secure?

I'm also not really seeing the benefit of watercooling a car PC. Noise and looks aren't factors but I suppose heat could be, depending on where it's placed within the car. I would think there'd be somewhere it could be placed where it wouldn't overheat. If this is just a 'because it's awesome' build, while I agree it's really awesome, it might not be practical. It would suck to deal with a leak in a PC installed in a car. Not like you can just turn it off and replace water-damaged components if you're out and about in the car.

BlueRaven · 3rd September 2011, 3:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by auApex

^
That was my immediate thought. I reckon you could build a system like that to be leak proof for several months but at some point, it's going to leak. Is there anyway to make the loop ultra-secure?

I'm also not really seeing the benefit of watercooling a car PC. Noise and looks aren't factors but I suppose heat could be, depending on where it's placed within the car. I would think there'd be somewhere it could be placed where it wouldn't overheat. If this is just a 'because it's awesome' build, while I agree it's really awesome, it might not be practical. It would suck to deal with a leak in a PC installed in a car. Not like you can just turn it off and replace water-damaged components if you're out and about in the car.

Use compression fittings? Even with forces inside the vehicle taken into account, I can't see a hose popping out of a fully tightened comp fitting. A bit of Loctite on the G1/4 threads too, if you wanted to make it really really safe.

I do agree about WC being a bit unnecessary in this application, I doubt OP will be overclocking his car pc? But hey... maybe he's just doing it for the awesome factor...

WuzzA21 · 3rd September 2011, 3:44 PM

Those thermaltake pumps have a weird magnetic vibration coming from em, i dare say that if you turned it on its side it wouldn't pump.

Like a dcc pump, they stop if you tap them.

v8tfcorty · 4th September 2011, 12:33 PM

Iam not overly concerned about the WC system sprouting a leak via a joint coming loose, hose clamps have been used in cars for years and rarely do they come loose.

The sole reason for the WC gear is that I have already had this running in the car and twice now the HSF has popped itself from the motherboard.
Will suck it and see, if it leaks and dies so be it.

@ WuzzA21, yeah if the TT pump will not work in its side (so I can fill the system) that will be an issue for sure, I also have an EK-DCP 4.0 and res here, I can use that I guess but packinging constraints will be a problem.

I'll go and buy another car battery this morning and fill it and see what happens.

As for shortening the ATX cable, are these the correct pins ?

BlueRaven · 4th September 2011, 4:59 PM

Apologies mate, just realised you put your reasoning in the very first line of your OP. F*cking derp.

Yep, those certainly look like the correct Molex Minifit pins.

RS should also have crimping tools to suit, or you can buy one from MDPC-X or Element14.

v8tfcorty · 5th September 2011, 9:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by <BlueRaven>

Yep, those certainly look like the correct Molex Minifit pins.

RS should also have crimping tools to suit, or you can buy one from MDPC-X or Element14.

Thanks, just ordered some pins and an extraction tool, I will buy a crimper elsewhere, the one listed on RS is 11,000 baht ($340.00).

2nd September 2011, 11:11 PM	#1
v8tfcorty Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: thailand Posts: 324	Junk Box WC mini CarPc. Okies have been having trouble with my CarPc constantly popping the stock HSF off the CPU so I raided the Junk/Bitza box to see what I had. Mostly all crap but atleast I could bolt it in rather than rely on the crappy HSF clips. Basic PC Specs are, Box - Silverstone SG06 mini itx Mobo - Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3 CPU- Intel i3-540 Ram - Kingston 4GB 1066 DDR3 PSU - Minibox M4-ATX HDD - Seagate Momentus 750gb WC Gear (from the junk box), CPU - Thermaltake block (yes I know its crap) RAD - ?? Pump - Thermaltake (yes I know its crap) Tubing - ?? Here's a couple of build pix. Rad mounted Pump mount Plumbed and also my clamp plates (was socket 775 setup, I needed to make plates to suit the 1156) Couple of questions though, Is it a ballache to shorten the Mobo/Psu wiring ? Will the HDD be happy being mounted like this For the rest of the deal its all still a work in progress, the screen in a lilliput 8" touch, the OS is win 7 ultimate running Centrafuse as the front end with Garmin GPS and camera's front and rear. the sound is a few subs and other assorted speakers etc etc. The "boom box", the compartment to the left lower is where the PC lives and the one to the right is where the second battery lives. The car

3rd September 2011, 10:42 AM	#4
heller44 Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: perth, yangebup Posts: 736	Just a question if you don't mind. How are you filling the water loop? Might be a bit of hassle getting the last bit of air out. Also when I was running my old system without a res, when it heated up the extra pressure was enough to force past the radiator fittings. One by-product of using a small res is having that small air gap to allow for expansion. Nice use of a DIN rail mount there.. Regards. __________________ Strange how I falter..

3rd September 2011, 12:15 PM	#7
BlueRaven Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sydney 2068 Posts: 2,068	Cool project (no pun intended). First WC'd carpc I've seen. Mounting the HDD on its side is actually not a bad idea for this application, might help to avoid a head crash and data loss. But I doubt it, SSD FTW! Being solid-state, you could mount it any way you like... sideways, diagonally, upside down, inside out. Ok, maybe not the last one... If you're thinking about cutting-and-shutting the PSU wiring, I wouldn't. Solder is not a very good conductor, hence the crimp pins on all PSU's. Just put a loop in the loom and whack some cable ties on it. Or get some pins and a crimper. __________________ When you're in over your head, the first thing to do is close your mouth. - Anonymous GOOD TRADES WITH: chrispychipS, s3kemo, Graham.Abbott, TerminalVeloCD, dayvud7, gnasher666, Bomber01, Echo Man, Mikio, MorgzMods, Guts, RoryK, Benno1988, Spirit76, Creekin, kazen, Lothar_Wolf, zzgundam, Nobita88 Last edited by BlueRaven; 3rd September 2011 at 12:19 PM.

3rd September 2011, 1:29 PM	#8
WuzzA21 Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,124	Hrmm, lets hope that pump can stand the constant vibrations from the road, and hope that the clamps are on tight enough. NICE idea tho. __________________ W3540 \| EVGA e760 \| HIS 6990 \| 12GB Patriot Viper 2 2000MHz \| 2x Vortex 3's, 1x OS 240gb and 1x GAMES 120gb \| RAID1 2x WD 1TB Caviar Black \| TJ07 \| Corsair AX850w MDPC-X HF \| BI GTX 480 \| EK NB SB \| EK-DDC Dual TOP V.2 \| EK Acetal+Nickel 6990 \| STEALTH 175 RES

3rd September 2011, 1:51 PM	#9
NiSlo Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Revelstoke Posts: 514	I had a carpc for a couple of years before I sold the car with a standard HDD and never had an trouble. CarPC's have been around alot longer than people think and they've been using spinning disks since the beginning. I found the consensus was that soft mounting the HDD with things like rubber bands and alike actually shortened the life of the hdd as an sudden stops and bumps were transformed to long, drawn out seconds of heads touching disks. I'd be interested in the longevity of this setup, purely becuase of the chance of leaks. When you consider the bumps it is likely to endure and even the inertia of the water each time you go around a corner slowly working away at the joints. What frontend are you using? __________________ Trivial Pursuit champion...of the world

2nd September 2011, 11:19 PM	#2
austin nguyen Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: VIC 3052 Posts: 82	would love to use SSD instead of HDD shaky shaky babe gonna die

3rd September 2011, 1:50 AM	#3
dreamaxx (Banned or Deleted) Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gold Coast Posts: 2,139	Wow cool car BTW, I have seen a couple of cases where shortening the PSU wires did bad things to the PSU (it blew up). Something to do with resistance.

3rd September 2011, 12:01 PM	#6
joshpond Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Townsville Posts: 228	Mounting the ssd on it's side is no problems. Looks interesting. Josh

3rd September 2011, 2:41 PM	#10
auApex Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,080	^ That was my immediate thought. I reckon you could build a system like that to be leak proof for several months but at some point, it's going to leak. Is there anyway to make the loop ultra-secure? I'm also not really seeing the benefit of watercooling a car PC. Noise and looks aren't factors but I suppose heat could be, depending on where it's placed within the car. I would think there'd be somewhere it could be placed where it wouldn't overheat. If this is just a 'because it's awesome' build, while I agree it's really awesome, it might not be practical. It would suck to deal with a leak in a PC installed in a car. Not like you can just turn it off and replace water-damaged components if you're out and about in the car. __________________ 3930K @ 4.4ghz \|\|Asrock Extreme9\|\|7970 Crossfire\|\|16GB Dominator Platinum 2133\|\|720gb SSD + 6TB HDD\|\|Strider 1200w\|\|TJ07\|\|*U3011 + 22007FP\|\|G19 & SS Sensei Pro\|\|ATH-A900X on Asus Essence STX\|\|Custom Watercooling**\|\| My PC BF3 = auApex

3rd September 2011, 3:44 PM	#12
WuzzA21 Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,124	Those thermaltake pumps have a weird magnetic vibration coming from em, i dare say that if you turned it on its side it wouldn't pump. Like a dcc pump, they stop if you tap them. __________________ W3540 \| EVGA e760 \| HIS 6990 \| 12GB Patriot Viper 2 2000MHz \| 2x Vortex 3's, 1x OS 240gb and 1x GAMES 120gb \| RAID1 2x WD 1TB Caviar Black \| TJ07 \| Corsair AX850w MDPC-X HF \| BI GTX 480 \| EK NB SB \| EK-DDC Dual TOP V.2 \| EK Acetal+Nickel 6990 \| STEALTH 175 RES

4th September 2011, 12:33 PM	#13
v8tfcorty Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: thailand Posts: 324	Iam not overly concerned about the WC system sprouting a leak via a joint coming loose, hose clamps have been used in cars for years and rarely do they come loose. The sole reason for the WC gear is that I have already had this running in the car and twice now the HSF has popped itself from the motherboard. Will suck it and see, if it leaks and dies so be it. @ WuzzA21, yeah if the TT pump will not work in its side (so I can fill the system) that will be an issue for sure, I also have an EK-DCP 4.0 and res here, I can use that I guess but packinging constraints will be a problem. I'll go and buy another car battery this morning and fill it and see what happens. As for shortening the ATX cable, are these the correct pins ?

4th September 2011, 4:59 PM	#14
BlueRaven Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sydney 2068 Posts: 2,068	Apologies mate, just realised you put your reasoning in the very first line of your OP. Fcking derp. Yep, those certainly look like the correct Molex Minifit pins. RS should also have crimping tools to suit, or you can buy one from MDPC-X or Element14. __________________ When you're in over your head, the first thing to do is close your mouth. - Anonymous GOOD TRADES WITH*: chrispychipS, s3kemo, Graham.Abbott, TerminalVeloCD, dayvud7, gnasher666, Bomber01, Echo Man, Mikio, MorgzMods, Guts, RoryK, Benno1988, Spirit76, Creekin, kazen, Lothar_Wolf, zzgundam, Nobita88